Stephen Meyer: Scientific Arguments for a Theistic Worldview
Are there strong scientific arguments for theism? Is there such a thing as objective morality? How is a worldview built? On this ID The Future, philosopher of science Dr. Stephen Meyer answers these questions and more in the first hour of a new two-hour interview on various topics related to his work and books. The interview was recorded in the fall of 2023 by Praxis Circle, a worldview-building organization that promotes open dialogue around life’s biggest questions. The word praxis harkens back to Latin and Greek as a word for practice, action, or doing. So praxis refers to the process of interaction between our worldview – our conception of reality, our view of the world – and our practice of living and acting in it. It’s an interesting mental space to begin a dialogue.
A word on the format of the interview. The interview host is Doug Monroe, and you’ll hear him at various intervals. However, the discussion was recorded specifically to be broken up into 39 short videos, so most of the time you won’t hear the question being asked – just Dr. Meyer’s response. The questions he answers are often connected and follow a logical progression exploring Dr. Meyer’s books and arguments. Plus, Dr. Meyer usually begins his answer by paraphrasing the question, so you’ll have a good idea what he’s talking about as he begins each new answer.
In case it’s helpful, here’s an outline of the topics covered by Dr. Meyer in this first hour of the interview:
- Founding of Discovery Institute
- Definition of worldview
- Dr. Meyer’s own worldview journey
- Epistemology and the Judeo-Christian idea of intelligibility
- Mind-body problem of consciousness
- The need for objective, rational arguments for theism
- Importance of philosophy
- Materialism, relativism, and objective morality
- The fact/value divide
- Newton and Leibniz debate: gravity and God
- The nature of information
This is Part 1 of a two-part interview. Look for Part 2 next!
Dig Deeper
- Learn more about Praxis Circle at praxiscircle.com.
- Follow Dr. Meyer’s latest writing, videos, and more at stephencmeyer.org.
- A note on the image used: Cattleya Orchid and Three Hummingbirds, 1871, by Martin Johnson Heade, public domain.